A Friend Indeed
by AquilaLorelei
Summary: Xena has died to save the souls of thousands. Can Gabrielle and Ares join forces to bring her back from beyond the grave? Battle On, Xena!


A Friend Indeed  
  
Title: "A Friend Indeed"  
  
By: Aquila Lorelei; aquila_lorelei@xenafan.com  
  
Disclaimer: This story is not intended to violate the copyrights held by Studios USA, Renaissance Pictures or any other entity involved in the making of Xena: Warrior Princess.  
  
Rating: Nothing stronger than the show...Let's go G/PG--No particular indecencies...  
  
Pairing: Minor A/X "Xinnuendo" towards the end, but nothing glaring.  
  
Timeline: Post (awful!) "FIN", hence the title. Potentially the first in a series of S.7 pieces  
  
Feedback: Live an' die for it! Give a shout out here or @ my e-mail address. Feed the Muse! (Lest she get cranky! LOL!)  
  
Distribution: Feel free, just let me know where it's goin'...SkkyeBlue already has it on her site.  
  
You might wanna e-mail me and ask first, though. Just for courtesy's sake!  
  
Summary: Xena has died to save the souls of thousands. Can Gabrielle and Ares join forces to bring her back from beyond the grave? Battle On, Xena!  
  
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PROMO: Voice-over "He was once her greatest enemy."  
[cuts to scene of Gabrielle, head bowed almost dejectedly, before Ares' altar. Upon the altar lies the chakram. She quietly whispers his name.]  
"Ares."  
Voice-over "But now he could prove her greatest ally."  
[Cuts to scene of his narration.]  
"But I think, as a god, I might be able to find some loopholes."  
Voice-over "Can Gabrielle join forces with the War God to bring Xena back from beyond the grave?"  
[Cuts to scene of the two holding Xena's urn before the fountain.]  
Voice-over "Battle on, Xena! Coming next week!"  
  
Part One  
  
Gabrielle cried herself to sleep again that night. The rocking of the boat didn't help her much. She sniffled, and whispered to the empty air  
  
"Looks like I'm not taking this as well as I thought...Oh, Xena I miss you so much. I can't believe I thought...we thought I could go on without you."  
But she knew Xena could hear what she was thinking, and she also knew her friend wouldn't want to see her so miserable.  
"Looks like I'll decide what to do when I get back to Greece." The Bard then drifted off into a fitful sleep.  
Two weeks later, the boat finally made it back into Athens' safe harbor, much to Gabrielle's relief.  
"Where should I go from here. I think Lila asked me to come by for a visit once. Maybe I should...Nah...Not yet, anyway. Maybe I should go back to Amphipolis and...NO, no way!   
  
Not yet...Still hurts...So what do I do? Xena, this'd be so much easier if you were still around."  
  
So Gabrielle ended up renting second-floor room across from the Academy, hoping that maybe after 25 years her spot was still open. She sat on her windowsill listlessly, knees pulled up to her chin, just staring out into the starlit night. She'd attempted to write a scroll a few minutes before, but the words wouldn't come. It began to rain as she watched, the drops falling, then spattering on the quiet, dusty street below.  
Again, she fell into a restless, dreamless sleep. All she saw was the image of her friend, fading before her eyes and nothing at all she could do to stop it.  
  
By the third day, upon waking, she fell into a deep state of melancholy due to her loss. And, pestering at the back of her mind was the thought that there was potentially something she could have done...Or could do...  
"That's it," she said to herself, snapping her fingers then picking the chakram up off the nightstand where it had been, faithfully, since she checked in.  
"You must've been some friend, Xena, 'cuz I can't believe I'm actually doing this!"  
She trudged up the hill near the center of the city like it was her last mile. Atop this hill was a grand shrine to her greatest enemy. But at the moment, he could prove her greatest ally.  
Thoughts swirled through her head about whether this was the right thing to do. Gabrielle knew Xena said she had to stay in the spirit world in Nippon, but still the fact remained, the mortal world still needed her!  
When she reached the top and ascended the steps of the Temple, she pushed open the doors heavy as her own heart.  
She took the steps forward she needed to in order to reach the altar, and placed the chakram upon the smooth black marble surface.  
"Ares," she said softly.  
A shattering of blue bolts, and...  
  
"Xena's dead," he said in a voice completely devoid of expression.  
"Yes," she sniffed, "how could you tell?"  
"I can't explain. The "bond" I guess you'd call it. Besides, she'd never send you with that..." He gestured with his head and left hand toward the weapon on the altar, "unless she couldn't come with it herself."  
"You're right. Do you know how it happened?"  
"Yes. In battle, just like it should have."  
"But there's supposedly a way..." she trailed off dejectedly, not wanting to raise false hopes by wanting to happen what clearly couldn't.  
"So I've heard. But is it true she can't return without condemning those souls to oblivion?"  
"So you know the whole story?" This was part statement, part question.  
"Naturally, but I think, as a god, I might be able to find some loopholes."  
"Really!?" Gabrielle almost slipped and allowed herself a measure of hope, even excitement, before the depression settled back in.  
"Only one way to find out. Let's get going."  
"Now?"  
"Well, as soon as possible. Gather your things and meet me back here at dawn tomorrow. We'll leave then."  
"Leave?"  
"For Nippon, what did you think I meant?"  
"You mean, I have to go back there?" She trembled, almost crying, eyes closed with the sad, unbearable memories of a few weeks before.  
"If you want to see if Xena can return to the mortal plane, then, yeah, I think you need to. You might debate, but I think in the end you know what you're gonna do, so in that case, see you in the morning."  
"Yeah, in the morning." Gabrielle returned flatly, somewhat dazed and distant from this pronouncement.  
  
"I'll meet up with the An---the Bard in the morning. But, as of now, I have one more stop to make."  
He disappeared from his Temple in Athens, only to reappear in a large, Norse-looking building.  
"Odin!" he called.  
"Is there anything I can do for you, Ares? I just heard."  
"News travels fast" he murmured. "Anyway, yeah...Still got one of those golden apples in reserve like Xena asked? I could use one, seeing as, frankly, our supply of ambrosia is running low."  
"Of course, keeps one young, you know! I love health food! I'll just go and be right back."  
Ares made it back to Greece by late that evening. He prepared for the Bard's arrival the next morning.  
Again, the Bard fell into a nervous, restless sleep as she prepared to face what lay ahead.  
  
The Bard was, for once, up before the sun, and at the Temple just in time to watch the sunrise over Athens. This vista managed to brighten her mood somewhat, and she managed a wavery smile through her melancholy. "Xena would have loved to see this!" she thought. "Uh-oh, shouldn't have brought that up!" She sniffled once or twice, then bore up like she knew her friend would want her to.  
She entered the Temple without ceremony, and Ares met her a few steps inside the door.  
"Ready?" he asked gently.  
"As I'll ever be." she answered, still somewhat hesitant. Her face was a mask of mild tragedy,  
  
of quiet grief, her eyes were distant, the corners of her mouth drooped unconsciously, and her shoulders hunched under the straps of her armor.  
  
"Let's go," he said. "With any luck, we'll have a third for the return trip, right?" He managed a half-smile and looked over at the Bard in quiet concern.  
"Yeah, with luck," she answered, "whatever it takes!"  
Without thinking, Gabrielle took the War God's arm in a warrior's clasp.  
He, surprised but pleased, returned the gesture.  
"I hope you know this won't last forever," Gabrielle told him, "'cuz as soon as Xena gets back I'll hate you as much as I ever did!" she chuckled.  
  
"Oh, I count on it! After all, little Bard, your hatred of me is one of my constants in life." He half-shrugged nonchalantly. "In fact, I've come to expect it. So as soon as she's back, everything's back to normal, right?" He glanced over in her direction, half-amused.  
"So, let's do this!"  
"Lets!" she said.  
"I must warn you, little Bard, I'll only have enough power as a god to get us there. Once we're in Nippon, though, I'll be just as mortal as anyone else...Well, with a few exceptions...But that's really of little consequence, now... We'll have to go most places on foot, and we'll have to travel back by boat. Still wanna go?"  
"Yeah, but boats Oh, no"  
"Sorry about that. But we really haven't much choice in the matter, now, have we?"  
"I guess not. But does it have to be a boat???? I mean, once we reach mainland Ch'in, can't we go by horse or something?"  
"Boat's a lot quicker. And safer. Aren't too many pirates out that far, but a lotta bandits by road."  
"Boats! Oy!" She threw up her hands and rolled her eyes, half-nervous and half concerned.  
The War God somehow managed to barely contain a chuckle at the Bard's expense.  
The two then joined hands and prepared to embark on the greatest rescue mission of both their lives.  
Suddenly, the two found themselves before a large, rather ornate teahouse...Or, rather, what used to be a teahouse, but was now a rather stately ruin, bearing testament to the tragic, noble events which had happened there several weeks before.  
"Wow, looks like something went on here," Ares observed.  
  
"Yeah, Xena battled with the demon Yodoshi here. But it was only the first part. Still, that fight really did a number on this place." Her voice took on a choked, weepy tone towards the end of the sentence.  
Suddenly, the conversation between the two was interrupted by the appearance of a small, wizened old man in a white kimono. There was an odd air about him, as if he were involved deeply in matters concerning the spiritual world. It almost seemed, in fact, as if this man had some sort of great reserves of power, like he was stronger than he looked.  
  
The man clasped his hands and bowed low before the two visitors and greeted each in turn.  
"Nobunka" he nodded towards Gabrielle, "Great writer."  
He bowed low again, more formally this time, before Ares, and addressed him as well.  
"Gunshin" he said. "War God."  
Ares nodded, the Bard still being too stunned to speak.  
"Yes, but how did you know us?" The question was asked respectfully, but its intention was still to get an honest, straight answer.  
"I know...many things," the man answered in halting Greek. "For I am... seijin...Holy man. I have foreseen your arrival for many weeks."  
It was then the two realized that this elderly mystic was totally blind!  
`Well, I'll be!' Gabrielle thought. ::Another Tireseias!::  
"You seek your friend." the man said simply. "It will be no easy task to return her to this plane."  
"We know," Gabrielle answered, "and we're willing to do whatever it takes!"  
The small man smiled when he heard this. "You have the proper spirit, young one. This has taken you far, and will take you farther still, both with and without your friend. You have many journeys ahead, just as you have many behind you. Some of these journeys will be long, some short, some with others, and some alone. But, make certain that what you tell about these adventures comes from the heart, just as it always has. Come, let us sit to talk. We have much to discuss."  
  
All three sat cross-legged on a rug inside what was left of the teahouse. It was closer to the left side of the building from the perspective of the entrance, and faced a window, which framed a beautiful, serene valley.  
The small seer wasted no words. "You two seek your... yuufu...Woman-hero...She is a woman of great honor, and I have heard many tales of her...She goes by the name..." He paused momentarily in an attempt to pronounce the syllables. "...Xena."  
"That's right," Gabrielle said. "Do you know where she is?"  
"She dwells, now, in the spirit world... anoyo...She says she cannot come back, yet you seek her, anyway...This shows determination...Loyalty. Any friend would be proud of this. You look for a way around this...kinmotsu...forbidden thing, this... kimari...rule, for you wish her to return. Yet, she insisted to you that she is not allowed. This is her atonement, she feels...her last great act of redemption. Yet, what good is it for her soul to be redeemed and for her not to be able to live to appreciate it? Therefore, the two of you wish her return to the mortal plane, but you also wish for a way to return her soul to you without condemning the rest.  
  
There is a way, and I will tell you how to do it...The road to finding your friend does not have to be a torturous one...If you will let me help you."  
Ares looked over at the Bard and shrugged, in a gesture that indicated "What have we got to lose" She nodded back, then gestured with her chin in the direction of the small mystic, approving the choice.  
"Since you clearly know more about this than we do seijin-san, we will leave you to handle the spiritual matters, and we will take on the responsibility of the physical." Ares clasped his hands and bowed.  
"That is acceptable, Gunshin. In fact, I planned on suggesting something similar, myself. I have, however, deceived you, thus far, good warriors." The mystic said this in a tone which, in anyone else, the two would have seen a twinkle in the eyes. As it was, the mystic's voice brightened considerably, and a wide smile added more creases to an already deeply weathered, wrinkled face.  
"What do you mean?" Gabrielle asked. "Do you mean you've been lying when you said you could help us?" She was, by this point even more disappointed at her situation than normal, and was approaching anger.  
  
Ares glared at her, as if to say, "Show the proper respect. He knows what he's talking about!"  
"No, honeppoi nobunka, I meant the road to your friend is not as long or as hard as I have made it out to be. I only told you this in order that I could test your spirit and the level of loyalty towards your yuufu. The process is actually very simple." If possible, the wizened mystic's smile broadened, stretching at this point from one gnarled ear to the other.  
  
"In two weeks is the last full moon of the month. Meet me back here then, honored warriors, and I shall explain further what to do. Until I may once more be honored with your presence, I wish you safe passage."  
He rose slowly and exited, shuffling out through the back, as the other two exited through the front.  
  
Part Two  
  
The two weeks passed quickly and just at sunset on the fourteenth day, the two returned to the teahouse in order to meet the seijin.  
Once more, the honored mystic bowed low in greeting before each.  
"Gunshin... Nobunka...we need to perform the ceremony tonight, so there isn't time to waste. Come with me."  
He led the others down a short path to the seashore.  
"We must now proceed to light a candle to the departed souls. This is out of reverence, and will allow these spirits to cross over as smoothly as the candles float."  
"You mean we have to light forty thousand candles!?" Gabrielle almost yelped, then swallowed hard at the thought. "You said this would be easy!"  
The seijin smiled. "One candle to each thousand souls, honeppoi nobunka. That means only forty candles!"  
"Thank goodness!"  
"Could I help make the ceremony a little easier?" Ares asked.  
  
"Certainly, Gunshin. Anything you could do to make this process easier, please feel free."  
Ares waved his hand over the water's glassy surface, and suddenly, not the required forty candles, but the full forty- thousand candles appeared, each in its own paper boat!  
Gabrielle's jaw hit the ground, and the mystic just smiled.  
"This is what I would have done, could I have, Gunshin. But I am old, and nothing is as easy for me as it once was."  
This statement only served to deepen the mystery surrounding the small seijin.  
For a time, all three just sat, the two sighted warriors admiring the lighted "carpet" of candles floating away, beautifully contrasted with the blue-black of the sky.  
The seijin prayed for the souls as he meditated.  
They rose sometime after midnight, as most of the candles were extinguished by then, and far out to sea.  
"Meet me back at the teahouse tomorrow two hours after the sun is at its highest. We will conduct the final part of the ceremony shortly thereafter. Once more, I will explain as we go along, and once more, I wish the both of you safe passage."  
He bowed low, and left, as did the other two.  
The next afternoon, the two arrived in front of the teahouse promptly at 1:45 in order to wait for the seijin's arrival.  
"Gunshin...Nobunka ...I admire your punctuality." He smiled, knowing full well how anxious the two were to complete the ceremony. "Follow me." The small seijin shuffled off toward the northwest of their location. The mystic turned to see the two standing, puzzled. "Are you two not going to follow?"  
"Yes...but where are we going?" This from the Bard.  
"You never asked me that before. As it is, I cannot tell you, for this place has a name so sacred, no living mortal may speak it. But, Nobunka, you will know it when you see it." With this, he proceeded to shuffle off again in the direction he'd indicated.  
The three travelers soon forgot that two of them didn't know where they were going, and began to talk amongst themselves, as travelers are apt to do.  
At one point, a question came up in conversation the two visitors didn't even realize they'd been asking:  
"Do you have a name, honorable seijin? It has always been titles, honorifics...What are you really called?"  
"I suppose you do not have a name, either, Gunshin." The same "twinkle-eyed" look as before.  
Ares looked sheepish for a moment, almost taken aback, but quickly recovered.  
"My apologies, honorable seijin," he smiled, "I am called Ares."  
"And I am called Gabrielle. May I ask what honeppoi means?"  
Ares looked toward the mystic with an almost eager look on his handsome face.  
"May I?"  
"It is permitted, Gunshin."  
"It means, little Bard, `hard to deal with'!" His eyes glittered with reigned-in amusement.  
" Actually, nobunka, it could also have a slightly more flattering connotation...`Spirited'. "  
" Thank you!" With this, she turned toward Ares and stuck out her tongue.  
Even the normally-serious mystic had trouble holding back laughter.  
"I am called...Sometimes yogensha, `prophet,' others, senkakusha, `enlightened one' or `prophet.' I have yet another name, but this will be revealed to you all in good time."  
Again, the air of mystery surrounded the small man like a thick blanket.  
"Ah, I see that we have, without our knowledge, reached our intended destination." The mystic nodded toward a high cliff face.  
"Mt. Fuji!" Gabrielle gasped.  
"Yes, and, Nobunka , we seek the Fountain."  
  
The Bard could no longer speak from shock.  
"Do we need to get to the top?" Ares asked, "I can help this trip go a lot quicker, if so."  
"I will describe the place we need to go. Find it in your mind's eye, and take us there."  
This done, all three suddenly found themselves on a wide ledge before a large pool.  
Gabrielle fumbled with the urn for a moment, then caught it in a death grip.  
"Keep a careful hold on that, nobunka. I am quite certain your yuufu would want her ashes scattered at home, not here in Nippon!" He smiled broadly, almost chuckling.  
  
Gabrielle looked at once nervous, ill, indignant, and melancholy.  
"What is it we have to do?" Ares asked.  
"I must speak to the nobunka alone for a few moments. I will direct you shortly."  
He pulled Gabrielle aside and spoke with her. "I need to ask you a great favor, nobunka, can you live up to your name?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I need you to compose the verse, which will bring your friend back to this mortal plane. I can no longer do this for myself. I have long ago lost the art of writing prayers, therefore, I need your help."  
Little did Gabrielle know that his prayer-composing skills were fine. He just wanted her to feel like she had a greater role in bringing Xena back.  
"I don't know if I can do this. I'm a complete blank right now." She looked around, confused for a few moments, when suddenly something Xena told her weeks ago came flooding back to her in a rush... "Don't listen to the sounds...Listen to the sounds behind the sounds."  
She almost broke down, but then realized she had to focus on the task at hand.  
"Listen to the sounds behind the sounds." she whispered aloud.  
"Your yuufu was truly wise." the mystic told her.  
"Yes," Gabrielle sniffed and wiped her eyes, "she was."  
  
She listened then, more acutely this time, and she heard the water trickling into the Fountain behind her.  
The water fed the Fountain, which, in turn, fed her imagination!  
She listened for a few moments more, eyes closed and head bowed in inspired meditation, silent and thoughtful.  
Suddenly, her head snapped up, and her eyes shot open...She grinned from ear to ear!  
"I've got it!"  
"Let this Fount bring back the hero  
That the mortal world adored  
Like the Phoenix from the ashes,  
Her body and her soul restored!"  
She was jubilant! She had done it! She'd brought honor to herself and to the greatest friend she'd ever known, not to mention the fact that she'd written again! She hadn't composed a single piece since Xena's death several weeks before, and now she had! She knew, then, that her friend, her yuufu truly was her inspiration! Knowing that her yuufu could hear, she whispered a quiet "Thank you, Xena," before looking back over at the small seijin, still grinning with pride.  
He nodded his assent and began the translation in a low murmur...  
"Yurukusu kocchi izumi hikimodosu yuufu  
Monodearu hitonaka shitau  
  
Ninite Kou kara hagara reiniku ikikaeru"  
"You live up to your reputation, Nobunka." He smiled faintly.  
"Thank you." Gabrielle stuttered. She proceeded to blush and study the gravel at her feet very intently!  
"Now, let us begin the ceremony in earnest. The two of you need to stand as I have instructed, and join your closest hands while the prayer is recited. Furthermore, Nobunka, you must join hands with me while I recite. Close your eyes and keep them closed at all cost during the prayer. This is in reverence for the dead. I will instruct you further when this part of the ceremony is completed."  
They did as they were instructed, setting the urn on the lip of the fountain before the Bard for the moment.  
During the prayer, both War God and Bard felt an undeniable, inexplicable surge of energy, almost as if this man were tapping into some great "Power". Which, in fact, he was, but this was unknown at the time. For, had their eyes been open, they would have seen a golden glow pass over the surface of the water, very rapidly, like an electric current.  
"Now, Nobunka...Gunshin...Take the urn between you, and recite the Nobunka's prayer in your own language. Then, throw in the ashes. Your eyes may be open this time, in fact, I think you'd prefer them be."  
A wise, knowing, compassionate smile crossed the seijin's face then.  
"Ready?" Ares asked, smiling himself, caught in the moment.  
"As I'll ever be!" the Bard replied, grinning.  
"Let this Fount bring back the hero  
That the mortal world adored  
Like the Phoenix from the ashes,  
Her body and her soul restored!"  
"One..." Ares counted.  
"Two..." from the Bard.  
" Three!" from both, and they threw the urn into the empowered waters.  
The throw was hard enough to break the urn on the rocks at the bottom of the shallow pool, and the ashes billowed from the broken jar in the water like stirred-up silt. The ashes swirled into a golden whirlwind, becoming a "waterspout" above the surface of the pool in the shape of a cocoon...  
Both held their breath, as suddenly, the form of a human female solidified from the water above the pool's surface!  
At first, the form was simply a fuzzy, golden haze, a near-transparent "patch" of atmosphere simply different from the surrounding air. Then, a mane of long, raven hair began to, darken, "fill-in", come into focus, followed by much of the body. The hands and feet "faded in" next, then, finally, the face, eyes closed, head bowed. Ramrod-straight, arms at its side, feet together, it looked paralyzed. A golden glow surrounded the hazy figure, as if it were the form of an angel.  
  
Still, the form was faint and vague, "not-quite-there", as many have described ghostly sightings. As the figure became more solid still, it raised its head and its eyes snapped open. Finally, the figure lost the surrounding glow, and gained the most human of all characteristics...a solid body!  
The now-human figure of their yuufu dropped with a splash unceremoniously into the pool below!  
"Xena!" came the excited, incredulous cry from both.  
"Hey, I wasn't due for a cold bath until..." Xena looked around, blinked several times, shook her head as if to clear it. "Y'know, I didn't know ghosts got hangovers, but I musta' had too much sake." She shook her head more slowly, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.  
Her two companions laughed.  
The Bard reached a hand into the pool to help Xena up.  
  
"No Xena, you're real!" Gabrielle was both laughing and crying at once, now. She threw her arms around her friend in a tight hug.  
Ares, for the moment, hung back, just simply watching the touching scene unfold.  
"But how!?" Her brow furrowed. "Gabrielle!" Xena was frantic! Her eyes went wide " I can't be here!" Her tone was fervent, a nervous near-whisper. "Those souls!"  
"Are fine! Their passage is safe. Their peace insured. Perhaps I can explain?" This from the mysterious seijin.  
Who wasn't! He said he had another name. And he was right! For their mysterious seijin was none other than...Bishamon! The War God of Nippon!  
Standing majestically before the three assembled stood a samurai, more magnificent than any warrior they'd ever seen! He was a vibrant, vigorous young man taking the appearance of one in his mid-twenties, early-thirties. This youth was bedecked in full ceremonial warrior regalia, complete with a pair of magnificent katana strapped to his back. Around his neck was a small pendant of a pagoda, and at his side was an ever-present spear.  
"I had heard of your case, Xena. I knew your friends would not let you remain in the spirit world, but I also know that you would not allow yourself to return without insuring the protection and passage of those souls. So, I decided to intervene on your behalf...I petitioned your case with Izanagi, our chief god, Jizo, protector of those who suffer pain, and Emma-O, God of the Underworld, as well as his sister. They decided to allow for your return, due to the magnitude of your great deed. I, thus, gave your friends the idea to seek you here, and I provided them the help they needed to return you to this plane."  
"I'll be...You got two War Gods lookin' after you...You are one lucky woman, Xena!" Ares gave a wry grin.  
"Yeah, yeah... very funny! You'll never change." She gave a half-amused, half-upset snarl in his direction.  
"Now, let's head for home. Nothing personal, Bishamon, but I'd prefer to be off this island just as soon as is humanly possible!"  
He chuckled, "I understand. I grant you safe passage back to your homeland. Go in peace yuufu, Go in peace nobunka, Gunshin." He bowed low once more before the three warriors, and held out his arm for Xena to take. She took it in the "warrior's clasp."  
"Oh, and, Xena, one more thing, the Gods I talked to granted you a gift so this would never happen again. We granted you immortality."  
"Looks like you beat me to the punch, Bisha'." (Ares addressed the other God so informally because the two once trained together and they were old friends.)  
Ares smirked and drew Odin's golden apple from his vest.  
"You were going to." She was almost indignant, and glared at him.  
"For the same reason, Princess, I didn't want to see you in a situation like this again." He looked deeply into her eyes, and held both her hands in his.  
" What!? I... No...I can't be immortal...I'll lose the human touch."  
"You'll notice he didn't say we made you a Goddess." He smiled serenely and "steepled" his hands. "We merely made you immortal. You can't get injured, you will not grow old, and you will never die. But, you have no special powers besides those inside yourself."  
  
"Thank you. I'm glad I'll never have to send my friends on another chase like this one ever again! Thanks again, Bishamon, I'll never forget you, or my time here... Living and otherwise." She slanted her lips and rolled her eyes, half-amused.  
Ares made an observation, then, and pulled Xena aside to talk to her alone.  
"You realize there's only one of us in this company who's not immortal, right?" he questioned her quietly.  
"You'd really give her the Apple? I'm not so sure you could put up with her for the rest of time." she answered wryly, and half-smiled.  
"Hey, she's not as bad as I first made her out to be. She's got spirit in her. I admire her---Grudgingly---But don't EVER tell her I said that." He whispered the last line near her ear.  
"Oh, believe me, I won't!" The half-smirk stayed on her face.  
"So do you think I should?" he asked.  
"If you want to, go ahead...your call, Soldier Boy. Thanks for even considering it, though, whatever your decision. Thank you for both our sakes. Frankly, hard as it was for her to lose me, I could never lose her and survive it sane."  
"Then consider it my gift to her for a job well done. Whether she accepts or declines will be entirely her decision. Thanks for your advice, Princess." He kissed her softly on the cheek. "Besides, she might not be so bad after all. You two will really define `friends forever,' won't you?" He grinned.  
Ares then turned toward the Bard. "With these two other Immortals bearing witness, Gabrielle, I offer you this gift of immortality." He handed her the Apple solemnly.  
  
"Do you accept or decline, Warrior Bard of Potedaia?"  
Gabrielle paused, partly from shock, and partly from being deep in thought.  
"As these Immortals bear witness, Ares, I choose to...accept your offer. I will become Immortal." She bowed low in a gesture or respect as he handed her the golden fruit.  
She closed her eyes and bit in, glowing gold as the God-power coursed through her.  
When she opened her eyes and looked up, she turned toward Xena and Ares.  
"Will you teach me? Both of you?"  
"We will." Ares nodded solemnly.  
"We will." Xena did the same.  
The group of immortals then bid Bishamon and Nippon a last fond, even not-so-fond, farewell as they transported themselves back to the docks where they could hire a ship back home.  
As they boarded, they heard Bishamon's voice once more...  
"I bid you farewell, great warriors, and I grant you safe passage. May you be well forever."  
"And may you be well, Bishamon." Xena whispered.  
"Where should we go next?" Gabrielle asked.  
"How about Egypt?" Ares answered. "After all, I've heard they're in need of a girl with a chakram!" He grinned yet again, more easily since the return of his beloved Princess.  
All three leaned on the railing of the ship, watching the island, and all the terrible, wonderful memories it held, recede into the distance, rapidly becoming just the horizon, then slipping into the sea completely.  
Gabrielle, her immortality having done nothing for her seasickness, went below deck early.  
The two great warriors were then left to their own devices. They watched the sunset in a companionable silence for some time.  
Xena finally spoke up. She turned to Ares, wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering low and breathy in his ear. "You know, I never really got the chance to thank you for doing this for me."  
  
She kissed him then as the sky darkened, the stars lending their faint glow, like candlelight around the couple.  
"Don't mention it." he whispered back, sweeping her into his arms as they vanished, reappearing in one of the cabins below deck.  
  
THE END 


End file.
